Coming Home
by Synergetic Prose
Summary: Strangers From Home additional scenes: "There might be some memories that are uncomfortable," Keith quietly warned. James crossed his arms, "We've been fighting an intergalactic warlord with robots and drones. We're long past this kid's gloves nonsense." Or: The paladins and mfes share memories via the training headbands (Shiro, Allura, and Romelle will feature too.)


AN: I've decided that the memories between MFEs and Paladins were going to slow down the pacing too much for Strangers From Home. So I'll be adding them here for those interested.

Refresher/newcomers (though I recommend reading Strangers From Home first): The memory sharing goes one way but the headbands can be adjusted back into a two way street.

This mini chapter takes place after SFH chp 14: James has called Keith into the Atlas' "living room" to better understand each other. Reminder that Adam had mentored the MFEs.

First up: James glimpses into Keith's mind. And James shares a little from his side.

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James had been half joking when he said he wouldn't sleep tonight.

But the more memories Keith shared, the more questions he had. To his surprise, Keith stayed sitting there on the floor across from him. He didn't shy away from James' blunt questions. The paladin kept his eyes closed as he focused on the memories. James, in turn, kept the questions on task. He asked about Voltron, the Galra, tactical scenarios he amight need to know for their upcoming fight. But the later it got the more comfortable James was in asking.

"What's it like to fly a lion?"

He let the memories come in.

_Keith's heartrate was high as he was sucked out into space, then the Red Lion purred and swallowed him up, saving him from being propelled indefinitely. He did it. He bonded with her, the most temperamental of all the Lions. Satisfaction filled him up as he took his seat in the cockpit. He could feel her warm purring as he felt a smile tug his lips._

_'Good kitty.'_

_He thrusted his arm out and Red blazed through space like it was nothing. She was an undying rocket. She yearned to fight. To blast her way through anything that posed a threat to her or her paladin. Ten thousand years of sleep did nothing to quell that fire._

"She?" James asked.

_They were all in the hangar. Lance looked at the Lions with a quirked brow. 'So they're all girls?'_

'_None of them have manes,' Pidge pointed out._

'_But then it should be lioness, not lion,' Hunk murmured. 'Right?'_

_They looked at Allura and Coran. _

_Allura tilted her head. 'What is a lioness?'_

'_Earth distinguishes a female lion as lioness and a male simply as lion,' Shiro explained. 'Is that not how it is in Altean?'_

'_Heavens no,' Coran gulfed. 'Why make up more words than we need to for animals?'_

'_Red's a she,' Keith confidently murmured._

_In response, he felt her warmly purr in his mind. _

James tilted his head. "So they have thoughts?"

_Keith stared at the bayard port that opened up. He let out a quiet gasp as Red's purr deepened. He felt the need to act. To pull out her claws and shred that robeast apart. _

_'Guys, my lion's telling me what to do!'_

James frowned with his eyes closed. "You used to fly the Red one. How'd you end up with the Black Lion?"

The images jumped as Keith tried to control what he showed.

_There was a massive winged robot in the inky darkness of space, Zarkon - Shiro yelling on the comms, electricity - an empty cockpit - an abandoned lab with rows and rows of tanks - Shiro sitting next to him on some forsaken planet, the glowing purple wound from Haggar being obstructed by Shiro's hand. _

_'If anything happens to me,' Shiro tiredly said, 'I want you to lead Keith.'_

_The image warped again to the lab. Keith reached out and touched a tank, feeling the chilling warning of his instincts to get away, don't touch what is inside and his world spiraled in those couple of seconds as it lit up and he stared at a copy of Shiro's form, looking like he did before he went to Kerberos._

_Suddenly the eyes opened. _

_The body shrieked, fangs hissed in his face beyond the glass as yellow blank eyes stared at him. It was completely unaware and mindless. The sounds of that clone awoke the one next to him and the next. Keith stumbled backwards as these things clawed at the glass. They were each a little different, with their own labels of different species written on them. He was faintly shocked his mind bothered to register this._

_'Hello Keith.'_

_Keith whirled around. He was thirteen and caught red handed in the hovercycle garage. Shiro's hair was still black and his face unmarred. The older teen had his arms crossed in a scold but amusement was dancing in his eyes._

_'I had a feeling I'd find you here,' Shiro murmured._

_Then the image changed back to the lab. Keith felt his world tilt right under his feet as he stared at his fellow paladin's face. _ _Shiro's eyes were as lifeless as the things in the tanks._

_'Shiro...it's going to be ok'. He was surprised at how steady his voice was because his mind was anything but calm. 'We just need to get back to the Castle. Coran and Allura can help.'_

_The Black Paladin tilted his head just like a druid. _

_'We,' Shiro's right hand started to glow that sickly purple light, 'aren't going anywhere.'_

_His heartrate picked up as he dodged Shiro's attack -_

The image cut off abruptly to a nebula. James opened his eyes. Keith was staring at the wall.

"Ask another question."

James continued to stare. Keith pointedly avoided the look. James' eyes slid down Keith's face.

"How'd you get that scar?"

Keith's mind supplied it without his consent.

_The lab was crashing all around them. Shiro's energy blade was still pressing down hard on him. But all he could look at was Shiro's wide eyes from hearing his words. So many emotions swirled in Shiro's darkened eyes, momentarily breaking through Haggar's mind control. He had never seen Shiro look so painfully lost before. It only lasted for a couple of seconds before his eyes shifted into something wild and angry and bitter._

_'Just let **go** Keith.' Shiro swallowed hard, revealing his longer canines. Then he pressed his energy blade even more. 'You don't have to fight anymore. Fighting...just delays the inevitable.' His eyes steeled into something cold and foreign. 'The team's gone. I made sure of it.'_

_Keith's breathing was hard. He could feel the heat of the blade starting to burn into his cheek._

_'Shiro,' he rasped out. 'No...'_

_But he was the one that left them. It was his fault. Not Shiro's. His family was gone because of him..._

_'Gods,' he choked out as water collected in the corner of his eyes. 'I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry Shiro!'_

James hadn't realized he was crying until he was pulled out of the memory. Keith was standing up with the headband in his hands. His bangs partially blocked his eyes.

"That's enough," Keith murmured with the faintest catch in his voice.

He left without hearing James' response.

* * *

"I'm sorry."

Keith kept his eyes on Kosmo as he ran his fingers through his fur. "You didn't know." He shrugged. "Nothing to apologize for."

James leaned on the wall near Keith's seated form. There was still so much he didn't understand about this team. They were different from the cadets he knew years ago but in some ways they were still the same. While now part of a time, Keith still looked comfortable alone.

"That had to be hard," James muttered quietly. "If I had to take down Officer Williams...I don't know that I could have." He looked down at the wolf's glowing blue markings. "You can't always shut off your emotions."

Keith paused in petting Kosmo.

"What was Adam like as a mentor?"

_A hardass,_ came to James' mind._ By the book but also understanding in ways I can't explain. Strong...but sometimes in a lonely kind of way._

"I can show you."

Keith quirked a brow. "It's not that easy controlling which memories to share." Pause. "I might see something you don't want me to."

"I'm pretty sure I saw things _you_ didn't want me to," James easily quipped.

Keith didn't say anything to that but his jaw clenched.

They headed back into the Atlas' seating area. Silently, Keith picked up Griffin's headband and moved the toggle to two way.

"I can help guide the memory," Keith offered.

"Let me try it first." He took the headband back. "I just think about the question?"

"Yeah. But the hard part is resisting the mind's urge to wander."

"Hm." Griffin sat down, took a long breath and then put the headband once Keith had his on. "Officer Williams as a mentor..."

_'Your reaction time still needs work James.' Adam sighed. 'You need to focus. You're the leader.'_

_James' hands clenched at his sides but he stiffly nodded his head. 'Yes sir.'_

_The image jumped as he peered through Officer William's office door. The man had his glasses off and a bottle of something on his desk. There was a picture frame in his hands that had his full attention._

_'You're alive,' his mentor breathed out so softly James almost doubted he heard it._

_The picture frame clattered as it was dropped on the desk. Adam covered his face with his hands. When his shoulders quivered just slightly James quickly backed away. He wanted to go over tactics but now was not the time._

_'You don't have the time?' _

_The image shifted to a dorm wall. James cradled his phone in his hand as he listened to the disbelief in his father's tone. He stared at the boring blank wall as he tried to keep from starting another argument._

_'Dad, I -'_

_'It's your mother's birthday. You always come home for that.'_

_'I know,' he sighed, 'but I need to do more drills. The Garrison -'_

_'The military can spare my son for one afternoon. You only have one blood family kiddo.'_

_He wanted to tell him that his family was the reason why he wasn't coming home. He needed to practice. War was coming. Commander Holt had made that clear but none of them were allowed to tell anyone about the Galra or any of the experimental testing going on at the Garrison. He signed away his freedom to protect them and Earth._

_'I know dad. I really am sorry.' He swallowed the lump in his throat. 'Give mom a hug and kiss for me, will you?'_

_'...Ok kid.' Sigh. 'James, I know this is your dream but you need to get your priorities straight.'_

_'I'm trying to.' He closed his eyes. 'I love you guys.'_

_'Love you too son. Just wish I could tell you face to face.'_

_'...Yeah. Me too.'_

_He hung up before he cracked. He threw his cell on the night table and then just dropped his head. Did he choose right? Was this what he was supposed to be doing? Most of the time he knew he had his priorities just right. But every so often..._

_'Grif?'_

_He looked up to see Nadia standing in the doorway in her flight suit. They had training with the Ares MFE second gen fighters. He stood up slowly, as if to give himself time to gather himself back together again into the squadron leader. What his family needed was what the world needed too. There was no difference. His family just didn't know it but later, once this was over he could tell them and they'd understand._

_He could wait a while for forgiveness._

_'Let's go Rizavi.'_

_She stood aside to let him go first then followed behind._

_'You're behind,' Iverson tsked._

_A seventeen year old Griffin stayed standing nice and tall as Iverson nitpicked his scores._

_'Not quite to Kogane's level,' another teacher murmured to him as she passed him his flight scores. 'But I suppose it'll do. Being a pilot is more than good grades, Mr. Griffin. You know that, correct?'_

_'She's just an orphan you know,' a sneering fourteen year old boy hovered over a girl with short blonde hair and dazed eyes. His friends snickered nearby. "Just some spacy freak no one wants to adopt.'_

_'Hey!' James cut in between them. 'Leave Ina alone. Just because she outdid you in battle stratagems doesn't mean you can -'_

_'It's fine,' Leifsdottir's quiet voice floated. 'I need to go.'_

_'Oh. Ok, but -'_

_Ina was walking away. James quickly followed her to make sure the bully didn't trail after her._

_'Didn't that bother you?'_

_'Of course,' she evenly intoned. 'But the probability of violence would have risen if I lingered given your temperament as of late.' _

_'Uh -'_

_'Moodiness. Argumentative. A slight hero complex,' her light green eyes darted over him, 'mixed with some sort of need to redeem one's self. Undoubtedly related to the fistfight with Keith Kogane four months ago after you insulted his deceased parents.'_

_'...I guess so.' James' steps slowed. 'Do I need to go?'_

_'Why?'_

_'Like you said, I insulted the memory of his parents. And you're - well...'_

_'You don't bother me.'_

_'Why not?'_

_'Pubescent teens are prone to doing and saying hurtful things.' She shrugged. 'And as I said, you clearly feel the need to redeem yourself after saying and doing such things. The pimpled bully in the courtyard did not, thus, you are not the same as him.'_

_'Ah. Thanks. I think.'_

_'I'm hungry.'_

_'Ok. You want me to escort you to the cafeteria? That jerkface's still lingering behind us.'_

_She shrugged. 'If you want.'_

_'Yes,' an eighteen year old Ryan Kinkade firmly answered._

_James was taken aback by the quick response. 'You can take some time to think it over.'_

_'Don't need to.'_

_'Ok. Well, I'm the squadron leader. We have a meeting with senior Officer Adam Williams at noon to discuss the parameters of our assignment.'_

_Ryan looked over the tablet._ 'Ares Fighter?'

_'The name's still a work in progress,' James half smiled._

_Kinkade let out a low grunt._

_There was smoke coming up from the crashed fighter. James ran across the field, hearing Ina and Rizavi on either side of him._

_'Kinkade!'_

_Some Garrison soldiers were on sight as they wrenched open the prototype. He could hear the groaning of metal as they worked to free Ryan. There was a scurry of people. The pilot was being drawn out of the plane._ _James pushed his way through with Nadia's help._

_'We got him,' Rizavi said._

_They were handed over their teammate. Ryan's suit was dusty and his helmet cracked. _ _Ina leaned over and slipped it off. Ryan gasped as he was exposed to air. His temple was bleeding. He tried to stand on his own but his knees bent, nearly dropping him to the ground. James and Nadia caught him in time._

_'Easy,' James scolded. 'You just got out of a crashed plane.'_

_'I'm fine.'_

_'Tell that to your shaking body,' Rizavi retorted._

_'Not helping Riz.'_

_'It's shock,' Leifs explained without prompting._

_'Need a blankie Kink?' Rizavi half teased._

_Some strength suddenly returned to Kinkade. 'I hate that nickname Nadia.'_

_ She wrinkled her nose, making her glasses move. 'You just sounded like my dad right now.'_

_'A medic's coming,' Ina pointed out._

_'Alright, let's meet them halfway,' James refocused the team. 'Think you can walk some more?'_

_'Yeah.'_ _ Pause. 'Thanks for coming over Grif. Leifs. Riz.'_

_'They're not coming.'_

_Riz looked over at him with a frown. Sam Holt was giving his speech about taking a last stand._

_'Don't say that.'_

_James felt his brows furrow deeply. 'If Voltron were still alive, they'd be here by now.'_

_'...James, I'm sure your family's ok.'_

_'I-I don't - ' He felt himself stumble back into the conference room table as he read over the word deceased on the projector screen. His dad was - 'Mom. Was my mom listed -'_

_He didn't go to her birthday for the past four years._ _He didn't come to his father's summer bbqs in the park._

_ 'You need to get your priorities straight.'_

_Right now...he just didn't know anymore..._

The sharing stopped but not because of James. Keith had removed his headband. Griffin didn't notice. He was stuck in the last memory. Right now he was bent forward with his forehead against the floor. Tears were coming out fast. He tried to stop, tried to even out his breathing but it was just coming out as halting gasps. He thought he was over this part of the grieving. But strangely enough, he was glad he wasn't.

His father deserved more than this but it was all he could offer.

"Griffin."

He shook his head. Keith knelt down next to him. Nothing happened for a while. Then something did. James felt a hand slip off the headband from his head and then there was a hand on his back. Neither leader said a word but none were needed. Time passed. James eventually sat back. Keith removed his hand but stayed next to him.

"You shared more than I asked."

James wiped his face with his sleeve. "Some of it I couldn't help but for the most part it was intentional."

"Why?"

He shrugged, a completely Ina thing to do Keith realized. "I wanted you to know."

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End file.
